Toll hike unfair to So. Maine

There's a lot not to like about the Maine Turnpike Authority's proposed toll increases — not the least of which is that once again the people of southern York County are bearing the brunt of the hike.

There's a lot not to like about the Maine Turnpike Authority's proposed toll increases — not the least of which is that once again the people of southern York County are bearing the brunt of the hike.

While we may ultimately agree that some sort of increase is inevitable, we think the MTA board of trustees should take a hard look at its current proposal before imposing it on motorists. Moreover, Mainers need to get an E-ZPass account now, and save as much as two-thirds of the cost of paying cash if the increases are instituted as proposed.

MTA Executive Director Peter Mills announced several weeks ago a plan to increase cash tolls across the board, in order to meet an anticipated $26.5 million need for additional revenue. The proposed toll hike comes at an unfortunate time for the MTA and for Mainers. The MTA is under scrutiny by a dubious public that wonders just how much it has purged itself of the excesses incurred during the reign of former MTA Executive Director Paul Violette. Violette is serving time in jail for stealing between $150,000 and $230,000 from the MTA, and people understandably question whether hidden crevices of money still exist.

At the same time, Mainers are still recovering slowly from the economic downturn. The May unemployment rate was 7.4 in Maine, as compared to 5 percent in the Granite State, and it has the second highest foreclosure rate in New England. Every penny counts for many in the Pine Tree State, and this increase comes at a most inopportune time.

That's not all that bothers us. It seems we at the southern tip of the state continue to be the pocketbook for the MTA. As proposed, the cash toll at the York toll plaza will go from $2 to $3, an amount higher than will be paid at any other interchange on the turnpike. Cash tolls at West Gardiner and New Gloucester tollbooths would increase from $1.75 to $2.50, while it would cost $1.50 instead of $1 to go northbound in Wells and Gray. For an organization that "doesn't like to make change," as Mills stated for the reason for the $1 hike at York, collectors sure will be making change elsewhere on the turnpike.

But that's not all. We have long felt it's the MTA's philosophy that because all the tourists come through York and because the residents of southern York County are part of the alleged "gold coast," these two groups can surely bear the increase. This thinking has infuriated people here for years, and for good reason. The logic is patently unfair to all those who struggle to make a living.

Moreover, we have serious concerns about the increased traffic on Route 1 from trucks and summer tourists who won't want to pay that $3 fee. Route 1 is already a traffic morass every weekend during the summer and this increase will add to the problem. York Police Chief Doug Bracy said the added traffic will require spreading police resources thin as officers will undoubtedly respond to more minor accidents. Just as concerning, Route 1 is already in bad shape and the cash-strapped Maine Department of Transportation has not been maintaining it as it should, Bracy said. With ever more trucks circumventing the tolls, this road will only deteriorate further.

Even if Mainers get E-ZPass, they'll still be paying more than they are now — E-ZPass costs are increasing 20 percent from 6.7 to 8 cents a mile. Still, it's substantially lower than paying cash. The E-ZPass customer getting on at York will pay 95 cents, for instance, instead of $3. Parenthetically, the more E-ZPass customers there are, the more it will strengthen the hand of the York group Think Again, which is working to have the MTA install all-electronic tolling instead of a new toll booth plaza in York.

Mills is to be congratulated on coming to York to talk with residents on July 9 — kind of like Daniel coming to the lion's den. And we hope and expect him to listen to what residents have to say — and to find every way possible to mitigate this increase before imposing it on residents here and throughout Maine.

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